The Royal Navy had 16 Tribal-class destroyers in service in 1939, alongside many more destroyers of other classes. That imbalance illustrates the danger of planning around the most likely opponent. German destroyers could exploit their larger guns against an average British destroyer by fighting at range. A Tribal instead tried to close rapidly and put a high volume of shells onto the target, creating a materially different engagement. Assuming every opponent was a Tribal would make commanders needlessly cautious, but ignoring the exceptional class could leave them tactically unprepared when one arrived.
Notable Point · 22:08-24:27
The Tribal class punished tactics built around an average destroyer
German destroyer tactics suited to a typical British opponent faced a different problem against a Tribal closing aggressively and delivering a high volume of fire.